


A COVID Christmas

by Lil_leels



Series: Rizzles in COVID Quarantine [2]
Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: Because its 2020!, Christmas fluff!, F/F, In Quarantine!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28310361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_leels/pseuds/Lil_leels
Summary: Jane and Maura are now quarantining together and Jane decides it's time to teach Maura all about Christmas Spirit.
Relationships: Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli
Series: Rizzles in COVID Quarantine [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073420
Comments: 35
Kudos: 74





	A COVID Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Somehow I have made a series of one shots I did not intend to create. So... happy reading!

Jane moves in the day after Thanksgiving, the majority of her clothes packed quickly into two suitcases. Maura helps her bring them to the car. Maura can’t help the feeling of relief she feels as Jane drives them home. Home. Maura had grown so accustomed to Jane and her family’s presence in her life and home that their absence had been nearly intolerable. Of course, Maura saw Jane and Frankie at work and she had her morning coffee with Angela through the window. But it wasn’t the same. Not by a long shot. Her house was not a home without the Rizzoli’s and one Rizzoli in particular. Maura never wanted to go six months without really seeing her best friend again. 

December comes and with it the entirely expected spike in cases after a good percentage of Americans shunned public health officials advice on staying home for the holidays. Maura wants to scream every morning as the death totals continue to rise. Maura doesn’t need to watch the news to see that. She sees it in her morgue and across all the morgues of Massachusetts. Maura wept when she had to order more body bags. More body bags which had spiked in price because of demand. Body bags that would hold once living bodies that would be alive were it not for this virus. 

Maura attends the late Friday night zoom meeting vote for the approval of the emergency use of the first Covid 19 vaccine. She cheers with the rest. The knot of anxiety that she had carried with her for the last nine months begins to loosen, slightly. Maura spends Saturday morning coordinating with the local hospitals to get the appropriate people immunised in her labs and clinics. Maura’s own name goes on the list to be immunised as soon as is appropriate. Maura is just finishing her work when Jane comes into her home office. 

‘Hey Maur,’ Jane speaks softly. It was a new habit Jane had. To speak carefully and gently with Maura when she was working, as though Maura was fragile and breakable. Worse, Maura wasn’t sure Jane was wrong these days. ‘You busy?’ 

Maura smiles, ‘actually, I’ve just finished.’ 

‘Yeah?’ Jane asks with a grin, ‘wanna go on an adventure with me?’ 

‘An adventure?’ Maura asks, already standing to follow, ‘what kind of adventure?’ 

Jane grins, her eyes twinkling, dimples flashing, ‘the kind where you dress warmly and in actual practical winter boots and I don’t tell you anything else.’ 

‘So an outdoor adventure then?’ Maura confirms.

‘Is there any other kind in 2020?’ Jane says teasingly. 

Maura chuckles, ‘no, I suppose not.’ 

It takes Maura exactly as long to get ready as it takes Jane to become impatient, whining for Maura to hurry up from down the stairs. Maura liked the way Jane’s gravelly voice took on a slightly nasal tone to it when she was particularly annoyed. Maura liked even more, making Jane wait for her. Knowing that Jane deemed Maura worth waiting for. Maura waits for the second exaggerated huff before descending down the stairs. 

‘You took forever,’ Jane whines, holding out Maura’s coat to her. ‘Can we go now please?’ 

Maura smiles to herself, allowing Jane to help her into her winter coat. Maura turns to face Jane as Jane wraps a scarf carefully around Maura’s neck. Maura smiles up at her friend, hazel eyes meeting amber ones. Jane smells like coffee, mint and coconut. Jane’s eyelashes flutter as she looks down at Maura, her eyes darting down to Maura’s lips. It isn’t the first time those amber orbs have done that either. What Maura can’t decide is whether or not Jane knew her eyes did that when they stood close together. Whether Jane intended it to mean what it usually meant when one person’s eyes drifted to another person's lips. Were it anyone else, Maura would ask Jane what she thought. Jane, who was as much an expert in reading people as Maura was at forensics, would be able to dissect the situation and tell Maura exactly what those eyes were saying. Better yet, Jane would be able to tell Maura why her own heart often palpated in response to that look. Why Maura always felt her centre of gravity shifting, why she found herself leaning in to that look. Since it was Jane though, Maura was left to try and muddle through it on her own. As of yet, she had not devised a meaningful answer. Breaking her revery, Maura reaches up tugging Jane’s beanie slightly, so the logo is centred. ‘Yes,’ Maura says teasingly, ‘we may go now.’ 

Jane grins, ‘thanks.’ Then, to Maura’s absolute surprise, Jane grabs a handsaw. 

Maura blinks. She looks from the saw to Jane, from Jane to the saw. ‘Is this what the youths call a ride or die moment? Do you finally need my help disposing of a body because I have to tell you a handsaw is hardly the most efficient means.’ 

Jane’s laugh is smoky and harsh. Perfect. ‘Really? What would you -.’ Jane cuts herself off, ‘Wait. No Maura. We’re not disposing of a body. We’re getting a tree.’ She pushes Maura lightly to the door. 

‘You are aware,’ Maura says, allowing herself to be led out of the house, ‘that the separation of a tree from its roots by use of a saw is detrimental to the survival of the tree.’ 

‘Well, duh,’ Jane says as though it were obvious. 

‘And yet,’ Maura says with practiced casual observation, ‘you are bringing a handsaw.’ 

‘How else would we bring the tree home Maura?’ Jane asks as they climb into the car.

‘Well there are any number of methods that one can use to transport a tree. None of which require a saw. I am certain my landscaper would be able to give us a recommendation.’ Maura replies. 

Jane stares at Maura blankly, ‘okay. What?’ 

‘For relocating a tree?’ Maura says steadily. 

‘Maura,’ Jane says straight faced, ‘we’re getting a Christmas tree. Not relocating a forest.’ 

‘Oh,’ Maura says blushing, ‘when you said we were getting a tree, you meant a tree for inside of the house.’ 

Jane continues to stare at her, her eyes twinkling with mischief, ‘well yeah, Maura. When people talk about getting trees in December they usually mean for Christmas.’ 

‘Well you were not specific in the kind of tree we were obtaining and I have never had a Christmas tree before,’ Maura feels the first hints of vulnerability. She sees it echoed in the ways Jane’s face softens looking at her. Maura changes topics quickly, ‘so where are we going to get this tree from?’ 

‘Out,’ Jane says gesturing vaguely at all of Boston. 

‘Out?’ Maura asks, ‘are you always so deliberately obtuse?’ 

Jane smirks at her as they begin to drive, ‘ooh busting out the ten cent words on little old me Doctor Isles? We’re going to go find one. Out there.’ 

Maura’s eyes narrow, ‘are you certain you know what you are doing? I would hate to be found illegally cutting down a tree.’ 

‘Sure, tagging is a turn on but busted for cutting down a Christmas tree is a hard line for you,’ Jane teases. Maura blushes deeper. There was a kind of thrill to doing something new and potentially dangerous with Jane. 

‘Fine,’ Maura says, ‘but I get to choose the music.’ 

‘Nope,’ Jane says with a grin, ‘we’re getting a Christmas tree which means its Christmas music or bust.’ 

Maura sighs, ‘fine.’ She fiddles with the radio until she finds a station playing a Christmas carol about Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey. The tune is obnoxious in its exaggeration and Maura is just about to change it when Jane lets out a loud ‘eeh-ah eeh-ah’. Maura can’t help the laughter that falls from her lips as she watches her best friend sing along to the ridiculous song. It isn’t long before Jane is struggling to sing along between her own peals of laughter which only makes Maura laugh harder. 

* * *

Jane drives Maura to the little tree farm outside of Boston her family had always come to for their tree growing up. Jane grabs the thermos of hot chocolate she had made for them and the hand saw. They walk through lanes of glistening snow covered trees. Jane feels Maura’s fingers brush her hand and Jane’s heart flutters. After months of separation, every touch felt new and more raw somehow. Jane found herself craving those little touches between them. Jane’s eyes always seemed to be lingering on Maura. She told herself she was taking care of Maura. That she was being a good friend. But as they walked through lanes of Christmas trees, soft white snow falling all around them in a Christmas wonderland, Jane has to wonder if maybe there’s something more to it. 

Jane watches as snowflakes drift into her hair, fluffy white flakes contrasting the golden red hue of her hair. The way her cheeks glow a pretty pink in the cold. Jane watches as her eyes sweep from tree to tree, sparkling with a deep gorgeous green in sheer delight. Jane doesn’t know what it means to love someone so fiercely. To want to take care of them so badly. Maybe if it were anyone but Maura, Jane would ask her Ma. She’d let her Ma paint some kind of fairy tale for them in which they learn they’re in love and have been for a long time and they kiss in a Christmas tree farm, snow falling around them. But this _ is  _ Maura so Jane simply offers her some hot chocolate to warm her up and smiles when Maura thanks her in an airy tone. 

Maura finds the tree,  _ their  _ tree, only after looking at a hundred others. It's big and beautiful and as close to symmetrical as Maura could find. Jane has to roll her eyes at that. Jane preferred less picturesque trees. Ones that had listed to the side or had odd branches. But if this was the tree Maura wanted, then it was perfect to Jane. Jane makes a show of sawing it down while Maura cheers her on. It takes the two of them to carry it back to the car and affix it to the roof. 

They stop by Target, picking up the bags of lights and ornaments that Jane had ordered to decorate with along with the tree stand. It’s sweaty, sappy work, getting the tree in place but one look at Maura whose eyes are a warm adoring light brown and it is all worth it. Jane wonders, not for the first time, if it was normal to love the different colours of your best friends eyes. 

Maura stands on one side of the tree, Jane on the other as they pass the strands of lights back and forth. Maura asks Jne about her childhood Christmas memories. Jane regales Maura with stories of Rizzoli mischief making. They move on to hanging simple orb ornaments. Jane had chosen a blue and white themed pack that went with Maura’s decor. It was simple, elegant, and nothing like the Rizzoli family tree that was always a mess of homemade ornaments. It sent a pang through Jane’s heart, she missed her family. She couldn’t help looking out across the yard toward her mother’s apartment. 

‘What is that look for?’ Maura asks teasingly, ‘are we really decorating that badly?’ 

Jane smiles at Maura, reassuringly, ’hardly. I think it’s just missing something.’ 

Maura steps back to look at the tree. ‘It looks gorgeous to me.’ 

‘Yeah,’ Jane says staring at Maura, ‘she is. It just needs something personal. You know?’ 

‘Like what?’ Maura asks, her eyebrows furrowed. 

Jane steps back and looks at the tree. Then it hits her. ‘It needs snowflakes.’ 

‘Snowflakes?’ Maura asks, her eyes widening slightly in confusion, ‘How would we keep the crystalline structures intact in the heat?’ Her lips form a kind of pout that makes Jane trace the curves of her friends lips. ‘Jane?’ 

‘Paper,’ Jane says immediately, tearing her eyes away from the soft pink flesh, ‘paper snowflakes Maur.’ Jane pantomimes cutting with scissors but Maura just stares on in confusion. ‘Come on Maur. You had to have made paper snowflakes in preschool.’ 

Maura just shrugs, her face falling slightly, ’not that I can recall.’ 

Jane swallows a sad sigh, forcing a cheerful smile on her face. ‘Well then, I’m going to teach you now. You’re going to love it. There’s math and symmetry  _ and  _ design.’ 

‘Really?’ Maura asks, eyes lighting up, ‘that sounds incredible.’ She claps her hands in a way that makes Jane snort and roll her eyes. 

With a small stack of printer paper and two pairs of scissors, Jane guides Maura through folding and cutting out snowflakes. Maura gets the hang of the elementary project quickly and immediately begins experimenting with different shapes and patterns. Jane gives up to watch her cut. She wore the same focused expression she usually saved for doing autopsies. Jane didn’t know what it was about that expression in particular that made her stomach flutter. Maybe it was just that it was so Maura. It was Maura unguarded, not tempering her response to the rest of society, doing something she excelled at. Jane could watch her forever. Better, every time Maura unfolded her snowflakes to see the pattern in full, her eyes light up and her lips quirk in a proud smile. She shows every snowflake to Jane with all the pride of a preschooler showing off their art. And Jane oohs, ahhs, and oh wows every single one. Maybe it was new for Maura. Maybe it was different than any Christmas before but Jane would make sure Maura knew that Jane delighted in her. That Jane was awed by her. 

This Christmas Maura would know that Jane loved her.


End file.
